RARE Colt Single Action Army Cavalry – .45 Colt – Henry Nettleton Stamped

This is a no reserve penny auction for a Colt Single Action Army Cavalry revolver in .45 Colt. Serial number – 48812. This SAA remains in excellent condition for its 147-year age, having been manufactured in 1878. It is part of the approximate 3,000 Cavalry model revolvers inspected by Henry Nettleton that year under U.S. government contract. Nettleton served as the principal sub-inspector for U.S. Cavalry revolvers from 1876 to 1879, and his "HN" initials appear on nearly every major component. The only component that appears replaced is the hammer, as it does not bear the expected HN stamp.

The earliest U.S. contract for the Model 1873 SAA called for 8,000 Cavalry revolvers and was signed on July 23, 1873, with General W.B. Franklin signing on behalf of Colt. Most revolvers from that first 1873–1874 contract were issued to frontier cavalry units, including the 7th Cavalry prior to the Battle of the Little Bighorn in 1876. This particular revolver, however, was produced later and would have been part of the 1878 Nettleton-inspected deliveries. Based on its serial range, it was likely forwarded by the Ordnance Department to cavalry formations operating in the Western Territories, such as Dakota, Montana, or Wyoming, during the late Indian Wars of 1878–1879.

Please note that on the second click, the hammer fails to catch.